Sports

Published 6 April, 2017

The cracking sounds of fireworks, filled the air and for a moment, the atmosphere at the ET Willet Park, was reflected in the brightly lit sky.

The huge crowd, which originally included such dignitaries as Prime Minister Timothy Harris and Premier Vance Amory, after being initially taken aback by the pleasant surprise, soon warmed to the occasion in spontaneous applause.

It was Wednesday 5th April, the much anticipated day of the annual Interprimary schools’ track meet, on Nevis-otherwise known as the MINI-OLYMPICS. It was held under the distinguished patronage of former Olympic sprint queen, Meritzer Williams, who was immaculately attired and made a fashion statement of her own.

The grand announcement as to the 2017 winners of the competition, had just been made. It was revealed that St. Thomas’ Primary school had successfully defended its championship honours, it had secured in 2016.

Their fan base erupted into huge celebrations.

As per usual, hundreds of individuals crammed into the ETW and there were even several boat loads coming over from St. Kitts.

However, the ultimate stars of the day, were the athletes. They came out to excel and to entertain and that is exactly what they did.

They competed in the 800 meters; 200; 400; 1200; 60; 100; 4X100 and 4X400 meters events and on several occasions, the photo finish experts had to be called to adjudicate.

The athletes appeared to be well oiled and well-tuned and definitely came out to give it their all.

Of course, there were some athletes who stood out more than others and for that very reason, the medals were shared around nicely. The two least populated schools in St. James’ and VOJN, collected gold medals as well and that would have served to stagger some of the points away from some of the more populated schools.

At one point, the St. Thomas’ Primary school was so well challenged by the Ivor Walters Primary, that they were tied on points. However, critically, St. Thomas’ came out a lot better in the 100 meter events and the 4X400 relay events, and that was the ultimate decider.

Soon it was The Ivor Walters team, attempting to tug away from the Jocelyn Liburd Primary school, for second place and the Jocelyn Liburd Primary prevailed in the end, to beat them by a mere two points.

Immediately after the meet, the medal presentation ceremony was held and the top athletes received their medals. However, it was announced that the individual champion trophies will be presented at the respective schools on Thursday and that the announcement of the Victor and Victrix Ludorum, will be revealed in the not too distant future.

The revelation of the top schools, was also made:

Division A

St. Thomas’ Primary-champions-191 points

Jocelyn Liburd Primary-2nd-161 points

Division B

Elizabeth Pemberton-6 peat champions-125 points

Maude Cross Preparatory school-second-42 points

Overall placements

1^st and Champions- St. Thomas’ Primary-191 points

2^nd JLPS-161 points

3^rd IWPS-159 points

4^th CPS-139 points

5^th EPPS -125 points

6^th Maude Cross Preparatory-42 points

7^th –VOJN-32 points

St. James’ -27 points

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Published 7 April, 2017

Legendary sprinter Kim Collins will join Usain Bolt in retiring from the sport at the IAAF World Championships London 2017.

Collins, the 2003 world 100m champion, has enjoyed a distinguished career competing for St Kitts & Nevis for more than 20 years, but will call time on his career on the track after the London Championships at the age of 41.

The veteran sprinter, who ran a personal best of 9.93 second for the 100m at 40 years old in 2016, has amassed five world medals outdoors over 10 IAAF World Championship appearances, the latest of which being 100m bronze from the 2011 Championships in Daegu making him the oldest ever medallist in the event.

“I think London will be my last. My oldest son now is 19. The kids are growing. But it’s been great for the younger generation as it shows that if you take care of your body, you can have a long-lasting career,” Collins said.

“I’m making sure my body is healthy, I’m eating right and getting a lot stronger in the gym which many years ago I didn’t do. My body is getting a lot stronger and more flexible which helps me perform to the best of my ability and not get injured.”

Collins is proud of the longevity of his career at the top of the sport and the list of Championship records he boasts over 22 years of competing.

He said: “My first appearance was in ’95 when I was on the relay. In ’97 when I came back I had a small injury. I ended up running 21 seconds for the 100m. It’s the slowest 100m ever run!

“I also have the slowest winning time ever run at a World Championships (10.07). And I’m the oldest ever man to medal in the 100m at the World Championships. Now I’m looking for another.”

To date Collins has competed 50 times on British soil and, despite missing out on the atmosphere of the London 2012 Olympics, he knows full well the reception athletes can expect to receive in the London Stadium when the action commences on 4 August.

“The crowd is deafening sometimes,” he said. “Especially when they announce Usain Bolt you hear the fans screaming and shouting. It’s amazing.

“That’s the thing about track and field. The fans come out to show their love and support. I personally appreciate that. When the fans come and show love and they’re rooting for you, you want make sure you do right by them.”

Kim Collins will be looking to compete in the 100m at the IAAF World Championships London 2017. 

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